48 -\. II. Agr. Experiment Station [Bulletin '265 



It would serin from a study of cost of pullet production, page 55, 

 that on most farms, pullets can be raised for approximately the sale 

 value of fowl and under these conditions there would be no difference 

 in depreciation, and the cost of keeping hens and pullets for a year 

 Avould be the same. 



In comparing the income from old hens and pullets, it will be well to 

 note differences in seasonal and total egg production and in egg size. 

 A comparison of the egg production curves for old hens in Figure 8 

 and for pullets in Figure 16 illustrates the differences in seasonal and 

 total production. The old hens not only produce fewer eggs, but in 

 addition the low production comes in the fall when eggs are high. On 

 the other hand, about 82% of old hens' eggs would sell as firsts, while 

 eggs from pullets would grade out as shown in Figure 13. The yearly 

 production of 1000 old hens, assuming the same mortality and culling 

 rate as for pullets, would be 6609 dozen eggs, valued at $2756.81 as 

 compared to a production of 7968 dozen eggs, valued at $3361.82 for 

 March-hatched pullets. 



In other words, due to low production in high price egg season, 1000 

 old hens would return $605 less than March-hatched pullets. Accord- 

 ing to the differences in costs and income under conditions obtained in 

 1929 and 1930, old hens inventoried at 60^ below the value of pullets 

 would give returns equal to those of pullets. To apply the situation to 

 current conditions, the annual product from old hens is worth 82% as 

 much as the product from pullets. This difference in gross returns of 

 18% can be taken to roughly represent the difference in value of old 

 hens and pullets as layers. Thus, if eggs average 30 cents per dozen 

 for the year the product per pullet housed would be about $2.39 and 

 18% of this would be 40 cents. Old hens would be worth 40^ less than 

 pullets in the fall. The New Hampshire practice of keeping mostly pul- 

 lets seems to be sound. 



COST OF PRODUCING HATCHING EGGS 



In addition to market eggs, 16 of the farms also produced a consider- 

 able number of hatching eggs. On a few of these 16 farms only enough 

 hatching eggs were produced for replacement of laying flock. At the 

 other extreme were those selling large numbers of hatching eggs and 

 using a great many for the requirements of a baby chick business. The 

 sixteen farms produced (for their own use or sale) a total of 52,699 

 dozen hatching eggs. 



On all of the farms a figure representing the relative cost of pro- 

 ducing market eggs has been worked out, As previously mentioned, 

 these "market egg" costs did not include such charges as B. W. D. 

 testing, certification, or any charge for use of cockerels. To determine 

 the cost of producing hatching eggs we have merely added these extra 

 costs to the "market egg" figure. It must be admitted that certain of 

 the charges included under market egg costs quite probably would not 

 have existed but for the fact that hatching eggs were being produced. 

 The ofttimes large amount of labor involved in certain breeding sys- 

 tems, the extra care in management, and in a few cases extra feed all 

 represent more or less unmeasureable costs which were absorbed in the 

 cost of market eggs. 



